ACACIA HOUSE - | YOURHOME
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Acacia House Designed for
Brisbane
Features two courtyards that give lots of natural light and To be read with the Acacia
sun-filled living areas. This will provide solar warmth from House Brisbane Technical
the sun into the living areas in winter and make it easy to Drawings.
shade from the direct sun in summer. Ideal for a block with north to
the street; but can be adapted
for blocks with other
orientations.
2 bedroom
2 bathroom
2 living
123m2 (excluding carport)
Potential to achieve an
energy star rating of:
How to use these design options
These design packs provide an example of what a well-designed, sustainable house might look like. It
also gives you information to support your discussions with architects, designers or builders.
The Acacia house provides a best practice example to help you apply energy-efficient design
principles to your home. It offers construction detail options for the Acacia house, as well as a
snapshot of key principles to consider when designing a sustainable home.
The Acacia house has been designed by an architect in collaboration with an energy assessor, and is
ready to use or can be adapted to best suit your climate, block and orientation.
Your architect, designer or builder can help you tweak these plans to meet your needs. You could
also use the Acacia house design options to:
develop a concept for your own design brief to take to an architect, designer or builder
incorporate design features into your house design or renovation
understand key principles to consider when designing a sustainable home
consider how to adapt the specifications for your climate and local requirements.
Acacia House street view
Brisbane Page | 2
Energy star ratings Benefits of a higher
The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme
(NatHERS) is a star rating system that measures
energy star rating
the energy efficiency of a home, using key A 6 star rating is the minimum standard in most
features of the home, including the design, states and territories, however aiming for a
orientation, materials and climate. A NatHERS higher energy star rating can have significant
rating is the most common method used to benefits to the comfort and cost of running your
show that a new home complies with the home.
minimum energy efficiency requirements in the
National Construction Code. Homes with higher energy ratings rely less on
heating and cooling systems. Less energy use
An energy assessor calculates the star rating means lower energy bills. Aiming for a high star
using a NatHERS software tool to determine the rating can help you get a home that’s cheaper to
thermal performance of a home. Assessors are run and more comfortable to live in.
generally engaged by the architect, designer or
builder on your behalf, but engaging an assessor On average, a 7 star home in Brisbane is
early in the process will help you adapt your predicted to use 21% less energy for heating and
design to get the best outcome. cooling compared to a 6 star home. And an 8
star home is predicted to use a massive 42% less
Your home will need to be rated by an energy energy.
assessor based on its exact location, design and
building specifications, even if you decide not to Below are three examples for Brisbane based on
alter the Acacia house. Any changes to the the Acacia house design and specifications.
Acacia house specifications or drawings will
affect your energy rating. By engaging an
assessor early, they can help you compare
options before decisions are locked in.
The Acacia house 7.3 requires 25% less energy1 than a 6 house.
The Acacia house 8.9 requires 59% less energy1 than a 6 house.
Predicted energy use for heating and cooling
50
45
40
35
30
Mj/m2
25
20
15
10
5
0
6 7.3 6 8.3 6 8.9
1
Predicted annual energy use for heating and cooling of the Acacia House Brisbane design and specifications.
Brisbane Page | 3
Design features
The Acacia house design offers a home with Optimises eaves and shading devices for
desirable features such as; summer shade, while allowing in winter sun
- generous ceiling heights of 2.7m Includes burnished concrete floor for
- practical bathroom and laundry layouts greater thermal mass
- open plan kitchen-dining and separate Has living areas open to outdoor spaces with
living area connection to the yard
- generous-sized bedrooms suited to fit a Provides a functional floor plan with
queen bed minimal circulation space. The compact
The design also incorporates sustainability house size reduces construction and
principles and considerations to maximise operating costs to heat and cool
energy efficiency and comfort.
Simple layout of rooms to support ease of
The Acacia house design: construction and reduce build costs
Provides a great outcome for a small block Has doors to separate rooms and provides
with north to the street zoned internal spaces, so you can heat and
Is positioned away from the front boundary cool only the rooms you need
for a usable north-facing front yard Includes a carport with storage space that
Offers two courtyards to provide natural can be converted to a garage, or extended
light and winter sun to fill all rooms to a double carport or garage if space allows
Embraces windows sized and positioned for Approximately 170m2 roof space available
solar orientation, natural light and cross- for solar panels
flow ventilation
See Acacia House Brisbane Technical Drawings for detailed floor plan. (Note: Brisbane - Option 1 design is shown above)
Visit YourHome.gov.au for detailed information on key sustainable design principles.
Brisbane Page | 4Building specifications
The building specifications outlined below show what construction materials you will need to help
you reach the star rating goal that best suits you. Discuss these options with your architect, designer
or builder, so they can customise it to suit your needs. For a well-designed house, often the
difference between the options listed below do not cost significantly more, and can result in longer
term savings and comfort.
These construction details have been optimised for the Acacia house designed for Brisbane. The 7.3
and 8.3 construction details below are for the ‘Brisbane - Option 1’ design in the technical
drawings. The 8.9 details are for the ‘Brisbane - Option 2’ design. Option 2 includes the changes as
outlined below, but also encompasses minor design tweaks more suited to a sub-tropical climate
(i.e. shading, window types). See the technical drawings for more details.
Construction details 7.3 8.3 8.9
Floor 100mm concrete slab on ground
Finishes: Burnished concrete to living areas, cork to bedrooms, ceramic
tiles to wet areas
Ceiling 10mm plasterboard on timber framing with R5.0 batt insulation
Roof Metal sheet roofing on timber battens with R1.5 reflective foil laminate
1000mm eave overhang
Operable pergola over courtyards
External walls Lightweight cladding on battens, reflective foil membrane (vapour
permeable if appropriate), timber frame, R2.5 batt insulation, 10mm
plasterboard
Internal walls 10mm plasterboard on timber framing with R2.5 batt insulation
Windows Single glazed, low emissivity glass, aluminium frame
Double glazed, low emissivity glass, thermally broken aluminium frame
Draught Weather strips to all windows and sliding doors. Seals and weather-
sealing strips to hinged external doors. Sealed exhaust fans to bathroom,
powder room and kitchen rangehood.
Ceiling fans 1400mm diameter fans. 1 in each bedroom, 1 in the dining area, 1 in the
front living area.
General Notes
- Insulation is often measured as an R value – a measure of resistance to heat through a specific thickness of a material.
Higher values indicate better insulating properties.
- Reverse brick veneer places the brickwork on the inside of the building rather than the outside. It can increase the thermal
mass performance, however is less common in practice compared to conventional brick veneer and can be more costly.
- Burnished concrete allows maximum thermal mass, and works particularly well in cool locations. For the thermal mass of a
concrete slab to work effectively, it must interact with the house interior to absorb heat, and be used in conjunction with
good passive design. Covering the slab with finishes such as carpet, reduces the effectiveness of the thermal mass.
- uPVC (unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) window frames have similar insulating properties to timber frames.
Brisbane Page | 5Windows and doors Shading
Windows and glass doors can be a major Shading can make a big difference to your
source of heat gain in summer and heat loss in comfort and energy use. In summer and in
winter. Up to 87% of a home’s heat can be warmer climates, external barriers like eaves
gained, and up to 40% of its heat lost, through and sunshades can be used to block the sun
windows and glass doors. Improving the from entering windows. In winter and in
thermal performance of windows reduces colder climates, shading can be reduced to
these heat gains and losses, and reduces allow the sun to naturally warm your home.
energy costs. The building specifications on Good design will use shading to optimise or
the previous page show an example of the limit solar access for your specific climate.
impact of different frame and glass types.
Northern sides of your home benefit most
Generally, windows and glass doors transfer from fixed shading such as eaves and awnings.
heat faster than a well-insulated wall. This is When they are designed well, the shading can
one of the reasons why the type of glazing has self-regulate solar access throughout the year
a massive impact on an energy rating. Other without requiring any user effort.
considerations include optimising glazing to
Adjustable shading that is vertical, such as
floor area ratios for each room and adequate
external blinds or screens, are often
shading.
recommended for the eastern and western
The estimated NatHERS star ratings on the sides of your home. This is because the sun
previous page are based on generic window rises and sets at lower angles in the sky on the
performance values - your architect, designer east and west, and horizontal shading from
or builder can tell you what products are eaves and awnings will generally not keep the
available to match the window specifications. sun out. Shade cloth and deciduous planting
Engaging an energy assessor as soon as your can also be used to provide self-adjusting
window selection has been made, or even seasonal shading.
better, working with an energy assessor on
The Brisbane Acacia house has 1000mm eaves
your window selection and optimisation, will
(see technical drawings). This has been
ensure you achieve the best outcome in your
optimised for adequate summer shading
home.
while still allowing solar heat gain in winter.
See the technical drawings for window sizes
and types which have been optimised for the
Brisbane climate.
Concept sketches of key principles - northern exposure for pleasant outdoor spaces, various features
used to shade windows from the summer sun and courtyards added for maximising solar access
Brisbane Page | 6Heating, cooling and appliances
Very little energy is needed to make a well-designed house comfortable. Appropriate insulation,
which is essential for a comfortable house, combined with passive solar design and a home sealed
from unwanted draughts, can create low or even no energy requirements for heating and cooling.
When choosing heating and cooling appliances, consider options that allow you to heat and cool only
the occupied areas of your home. Fans are an excellent choice for cooling in a well-designed home.
Typically, the air flow created by a fan provides a similar improvement to comfort as reducing the
temperature by around 3°C.
Choosing a correctly sized system is also very important, as is careful consideration of its positioning.
An undersized system will need to work hard for longer and therefore not be as efficient, and an
oversized system will be using more energy than needed. Expert advice is recommended.
Most heating and cooling systems have Energy Rating Labels to help you choose the most efficient
model. For efficient space conditioning (ie. reverse cycle air conditioner), the house should be sealed
and insulated, with windows shaded from the summer sun or covered with curtains and pelmets to
keep winter warmth in.
Careful selection of appliances can also save money and reduce your environmental impact without
compromising lifestyle. The key appliances of higher energy use include fridge freezers, cooking, and
TVs. Consider the lifetime costs of energy efficient appliances not just the purchase cost. Energy
efficient appliances can save you hundreds of dollars each year in running costs. The Energy Rating
Label is mandatory for many household appliances and can help you choose an efficient appliance.
Although heating and cooling systems, and appliances, are not included in NatHERS star ratings, it is
important to incorporate these into your design process, to achieve your energy efficient home.
Talking to your designer or builder
Use the information on the following page to guide your conversations with architects, designers or
builders, to help you get the most out of your Design For Place project. Talk to a few to find one that
best suits your needs and ask for references from their clients.
Consider your needs
Take some time to consider your needs, including likely changes to your lifestyle over time. Think
about how you use the spaces in your current home. Prioritise these, and weigh up whether more
space will deliver the best outcome over time. In many cases a smaller but well-designed, flexible
space is more practical and better able to meet your needs long term. Bigger isn’t always better—a
larger home means more space to heat, cool and maintain.
Discuss key principles
Review the Design For Place Design Option specifications and technical drawings, and discuss these
with an architect, designer or builder. Talk about how you can apply these principles, plans and
energy performance ideas to build a more sustainable, efficient and liveable home. For example, you
may wish to use the checklist on the following page as a guide for what to ask and discuss.
Brisbane Page | 7Checklist
ORIENTATION AND SITE WINDOWS
In the Australian climates, keeping living areas These designs have been developed with
facing north, but with adequate shading, will careful consideration to windows. Engage an
be critical to keep your home cool in summer energy assessor if changes are suggested, as
and warm in winter. You could ask: window selection, sizes and locations will
Do these plans need to be adapted to work
affect the star rating. This will help ensure
best with my block orientation and setbacks? positioning, size and performance is
optimised, such as optimal glazing to floor
ENERGY ASSESSOR area ratios for each room and adequate
Early engagement with an experienced shading to suit your climate. You could ask:
assessor will give you the best chance to
What are the available window options?
optimise your home for energy efficiency and
What are the cost differences and benefits?
comfort before it is finalised and changes to Where do you usually source your windows?
key design principles are no longer possible. Can you provide the window types and sizes
You could ask: specified?
Who is the energy assessor? Are they NatHERS COST
Accredited?
The technical drawings and specifications
Are they experienced with optimising energy-
efficient designs beyond minimum standards?
include all the details builders should need to
Can I organise my own energy assessment? estimate construction costs and timeframes.
Can we engage an assessor early to compare You could ask:
options and design decisions such as What is the estimated cost, based on this
orientation and eaves? design and specifications?
MATERIALS What is included or excluded?
How is the cost calculated, is it a $/m2?
Builders may have preferred construction
methods and material availability can differ APPLIANCES
across Australia. Changing construction will The choice of appliances, including heating/
affect the thermal performance of the design. cooling and hot water systems, will impact
You could ask: ongoing running costs. The position and size
Are the specified construction materials of these will affect efficiency. You could ask:
available and affordable? How do you calculate the appropriate size and
Would any of the specifications require position for heating and cooling systems?
altering? Can any changes be compared by the Can you recommend energy-efficient
energy assessor before deciding? appliance options?
CONSTRUCTION COMPLIANCE
Effectively keeping heat in or out, works hand- The design will need to be submitted for
in-hand with insulation and adequate shading. approval with your local planning authority.
Careful consideration of air tightness and An architect, designer or builder should be
sealing can make a big difference to how your experienced in meeting the requirements of
house performs. You could ask: the National Construction Code, as well as any
How do you ensure air tightness and sealing? state or local requirements. You could ask:
Once built, do you inspect homes to help Are there local council and state building
confirm what was designed is built? Such as, requirements that need to be considered?
checking insulation installation? Does the proposed design pose any issues
Are the LED downlights sealed and insulated? with meeting compliance?
Brisbane Page | 8You can also read
